Heather Gray-Edwards

Dr. Heather Gray-Edwards is an Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, affiliated with the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She holds positions in Genetic and Cellular Medicine, Radiology, and NeuroNexus Institute. Her expertise includes gene therapy, neurodegenerative diseases, and large animal models. She earned her DVM and PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Auburn University.

Research focuses on developing non-invasive MRI-based methods to study neurodegenerative diseases and evaluating AAV-mediated gene therapies. Key projects include models for Tay-Sachs, GM1 gangliosidosis, and Huntington's disease. Collaborations with Tufts University and the Horae Gene Therapy Center advance translational research. Her work emphasizes CRISPR-generated models and clinical translation of therapies.

Publications span gene therapy efficacy, neuroimaging applications, and disease biomarkers. Her lab's core mission is to bridge preclinical and clinical research for rare genetic disorders.